Living2Portraits
About Living2Portraits
Tucson Public Voices Fellow, Randiesia Fletcher is an author, educator, and public speaker. She grew up in L.A.’s Skid Row slums—reared by drug-addicted parents. Her childhood was plagued with abuse, neglect, and homelessness, so as a teen, she enlisted into the USMC. It proved to have its own challenges of racism and sexism and retired as a Disabled Veteran. She completed a BA in Creative Writing/ Anthropology—UA, and a MA in Education—U of P. She completed research abroad in Women’s Occupations in Fiji. To highlight her struggles, she published "Scratches, Needles..." and "Social Mindfulness." She founded I Can Do All Things, Inc., a 501c3, to help alleviate generational poverty through Sustainability Education, and the Refugee Resource Center, to advocate for refugees, asylees, and others victimized by poverty and sexual assault. Currently, she and her husband run Urban Forest Project (UFP). UFP provides sustainable low-income housing, reduces energy consumption to mitigate Heat Island Effect. The mission is to deliver economic solutions through sustainability education. The wife and mother of 3 lives in Tucson, and continues to write her own story.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her
https://www.harrisfletcher.com/living2portraits
The Center Bead
Figuring It Out
Sara
Open Studio Tour
About the Process
Randiesia Fletcher is an Expressionist Artist and maintains a mobile museum and popup library. She calls herself Living2Portraits to highlight expressionist artwork in painting and writing. She challenges the perceptions of Pan-African faces; particularly a non-smiling face. Her goal is to redefine these faces that have been subjected to stereotypical thugs, criminals, harlots, Jezebels, and exotic sapphires. The collection eases the fears of normal facial expressions—the expressions of culture, family, community, and nationality; a message in line with the ideals of Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Randiesia’s artistic works are influenced by the literary works of W. E.B. Dubois, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, and more. Dubois speaks about Double Consciousness—how people are forced to view themselves and the world through a lens of racism. It is the dichotomy of how a person views themselves, versus how the world views that person. Additionally, Randiesia practices and teaches mindfulness and meditation, “Our place and how we breathe, interact and inter-react with others most definitely colors the realities of who I am as a Black woman and how others see me.”
How to Purchase
Please purchase artwork from www.harrisfletcher.com/living2portraits.
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